Currently the County does not have a facility capable of accepting food scraps and other compostable organics. The existing County Yard Trim Compost Facility in Dickerson, MD could be modified to comply with MDE permit requirements. Modifications would include the installation of a Covered Aerated Static Pile ("CASP") system, improvements to storm water management structures and systems and the upgrade to the electrical service.

Any significant change in the operation of the Yard Trim Compost Facility would require an amendment of the Agreement of Settlement and Compromise between the County and Sugarloaf Citizens Association.

The construction dollars shown in this project are placeholder dollars based on initial information for modifying the County's Yard Trim Compost Facility to accept food scraps and other compostable organics.

Funding appropriated in FY25 for planning and design may be used to develop potential scopes of work and cost estimates for building an organics processing facility at other locations in Montgomery County as well as to consider modifications needed at the Transfer Station to receive organics for transport to a future organics processing facility.

Planning and design will begin in FY25. This project is projected to be completed in FY27.

According to the 2023 Waste Composition Study, compostable organics make up 23 percent of the municipal solid waste (MSW) received at the transfer station. Of the 600,000 tons of MSW received at the transfer station each year, approximately 138,000 tons is compostable organics. Capturing the compostable organics and converting them into a high-quality soil amendment would reduce the total tons of waste processed at the Resource Recovery Facility and emit far less greenhouse gasses than landfilling.

A pedestrian impact analysis will be performed during design or is in progress.

Maryland Department of the Environment, Department of Permitting Services, Department of Finance, Department of Transportation, Office of the County Attorney, Sugarloaf Citizens Association